A tragedy was averted at the weekend in Ijero-Ekiti, headquarters of the Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, following the collapse of an event centre during a ceremony in the community.
It is reported that the popular building that was hosting a b¥rial reception on Saturday had a section of it collapse on guests, resulting in life-thr£at£ning inj¥ries. The building located along Ijero-Ekiti-Ido-Ekiti road had about 250 guests when its roof and walls receded around 4 p.m., which led to many sustaining bodily wo¥nds as victims scampered out of the rubbles for safety.
The lawmaker representing the Ijero state constituency, Ademola Ojo, who said no life was lost in the incident, said it took the quick intervention of spirited individuals to rescue victims from the rubble to avert fatalities.
Relaying a vivid account of how the incident happened, the lawmaker said, “A reception exercise for a burial ceremony was ongoing when there was a deep crack in the wall Suddenly, the roofing and Plaster of Paris (POP) caved in and fell on those who were seated inside the auditorium.
“This caused a stampede. Many were wounded in the process, while some occupants sustained serious bodily inj¥ries and were rescued from the rubbles in record time.”
Meanwhile, the state deputy governor, Chief Monisade Afuye, has visited the collapsed building and victims at the Ijero General Hospital and grieved over the incident, saying she personally deemed the acc#dent very dist¥rbing and saddening. The deputy governor said the incident could have been averted if proper building scrutiny and compliance with specifications were carried out by government agencies, warning that situations like that shouldn’t be allowed to reoccur in the state
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